What If The Sun Disappeared?

As unlikely as it is, let's just say that the sun randomly disappeared, what would happen to us? Not that I'm worried about it, but this week's sermon study had this question that was bouncing around in my head. Thankfully Michael from Vsauce covered this almost a decade ago.

Because it takes light 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach earth, we'd have no idea the sun disappeared for a few minutes. Also, gravity propagates at the speed of light, so it would take a little over 8 minutes for us to be hurled into space. With the sun gone, the moon would have nothing to reflect, and we'd be flying through space in all but complete darkness. While we could keep the street lights on for a while, our only natural light would come from the stars in our galaxy.

Keeping the lights on would be well and good, but seeing would be the least of our problems. Photosynthesis would end immediately, and it wouldn't take long before all plant life died. That would be a problem for our food supply.

Next, the earth would begin to rapidly cool. By the end of the first week, the average temperature would be 32º F (0º C). That's not too bad. We deal with way colder temperatures during Boston winters, but by the end of the first year the temperatures would drop to -100º F (-73º C). Not all would be lost, we could find some warmth in places with an abundance of geothermal heat like deep underground or Yellowstone.

I do have some good news though! These extreme temperatures would cause the oceans to freeze over. That ice would create an insulator where water below the surface would stay above freezing for billions of years, giving us a third place to survive. Via submarines we would be set for a while! You see, there really is a silver lining to ever cloud.

The sun's light, energy, and gravity are indispensable to physical flourishing. But life without the sun would cause just as much emotional chaos. While some of us may be able to survive for a while in the dark, we wouldn't be living. The sun disappearing would be bigger than big. Somehow, the word "Need" doesn't fully describe the importance of the sun to us.

I started to think about this ridiculous scenario because of this week's Christmas passage from Isaiah 9:  

The light Isaiah was referring to is Jesus the Messiah. I imagined an opposite scenario where God's people were lost in emotional, spiritual, and physical darkness, but instead of the sun disappearing, it appeared on the first Christmas. At Christ's appearing all the bad was reversed as the light of life began to fill the world. It's a beautiful picture of hope that we can all cling to.

If you feel like you're walking in darkness. If you need to see light. Tomorrow, I want to help you find hope in the advent of God's Son: King Jesus. Come worship with us.